1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to a stripping device and more particularly to a bladeless stripping device which may be used to strip at least one coating from an optical element.
2. Technical Field
In the field of fiber optics, glass optical fiber is usually coated with several layers of such protective material as plastics, acrylates to enhance optical qualities, tensile strength and handling characteristics. Such coatings must be removed in order to process the optical fiber; for example, splicing two fibers together or attaching a connector to the fiber. As an example, 900 um buffered optical fiber is usually stripped to the glass surface by the use of stripping tools that incorporate multiple moving parts. The tools are usually held in the hands of the fiber installers and are used to cut away and discard one or more protective buffer layers to expose glass fiber underneath for splicing and connectorizing, requiring time consuming training and practice to operate effectively. Such tools can be expensive and may take at least two passes to remove the buffer and coating, and are typically made from a combination of metal and plastics and resemble copper wire strippers in their appearance and action. These tools may sometimes nick, scratch, or otherwise damage the surface of the optical fiber while removing the coating, creating stress points that may weaken the fiber and causing attenuation events. Additionally, these tools do not provide much tactile feedback to the operator as to when the buffer and more pertinently the coating has been sufficiently removed.
A polymer stripping device is needed that has only one part, reduces the risk of damaging the glass fiber, is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.